The Virginian

"A Fine Restaurant!" — Conde Nast Traveler

The Virginian Restaurant at the Occidental Hotel is named after Owen Wister's immortal novel "The Virginian." And since the novel is a famous and wonderful story of the Old West, it is only fitting that The Virginian Restaurant is a famous place for you to find wonderful food in an authentic Old West setting.

Tender and succulent Buffalo steaks are the specialty of the House. But we also offer mouth-watering prime rib and filet mignon, sensational seafood, and a variety of other taste delights that give a whole new meaning to Fine Western Dining. 307-684-5976

The Virginian Restaurant is a SMOKE-FREE Establishment.

Hours 5 P.M.-9 P.M.

Why We Call Our Restaurant The Virginian.

Owen Wister

From the beginning, Owen Wister's famous novel, "The Virginian," has been connected with the Occidental Hotel. When he first came to Wyoming in the 1880's Wister visited the hotel and responded strongly to what he saw here.

He spent many hours in the Occidental Saloon, closely observing the colorful Cowboys, cattlemen, lawmen and desperadoes that frequented the place. And when it came time to write his book, he based many of his fictional characters on the real characters that he had seen at the Occidental.

Some people say that Wister actually wrote parts of the book in a room at the Occidenta.. And many historians believe that the author placed the famous shoot-out at the climax of the novel —the first "walk-down" in the Western literature—in front of the Occidental Hotel.

One thing is for certain: the year after the novel was published, the motto of the Occidental Hotel became "Where the Virginian Got His Man!"

From The Annals of Wyoming

—Official Journal of the Wyoming State Historical Society

"From the lobby of the Old Occidental, along about the 1890's, many of Owen Wister's characters found their way into the pages of his 'Virginian.' It was here that many of the manners, customs, and expressions of the genuine cowboy were impressed upon the mind of the author of this widely known book, one of the few books upon the West that portrays the life of the cowpuncher as he really lived it."